Not everything about weight loss is pretty. There can be problems with gas and constipation at the start of weight loss. Not fun, but the problems can be eased.

Another unpretty result of weight loss is harder to fix – sagging skin and stretch marks!

If only we could be as accepting of our body as our friends in the animal kingdom! Sagging skin is a normal, human condition but that doesn’t stop us from hating it and wanting to change it!

How much your skin sags and how much your body is ravaged with stretch marks is a matter of how much weight you lost, how fast you lost it, how old you are, and your ancestors (the kind of skin you inherited).

If you google sagging skin and stretch marks you will find lots of lotions, potions, creams, techniques, and even surgical solutions.

Only two things will work and they are time and surgery!

Don’t waste your money on products that claim to give amazing results. The only amazing going on is how the FTC doesn’t crack down on these patently false claims!

You might decide to go the surgical route, but before you do, there are some things you can do to help minimize sagging and stretch marks.

Lose weight slowly.

Rapid weight loss is never recommended for a variety of reasons. Avoiding sagging skin and stretch marks is one of them. Losing weight slowly puts less stress on your skin. Skin elasticity (some of us have more than others) will have a chance to adjust to your body size as it gets smaller. Losing weight at a rate of 1-2 pounds a week on average can help you avoid excessively sagging skin. If you lose more than 50 pounds some sagging skin is probably inevitable unless you’re quite young and have very elastic skin.

Eat high quality food that provides lean protein and important vitamins and minerals.

Yes, you can lose weight simply by reducing your calories but the source of those calories count if you want to look and feel your best. Enjoy foods rich in lean protein, vitamins C and E and zinc. These nutrients stimulate collagen production, which can help prevent stretch marks.

Drink up – No! not alcohol! Stay hydrated with lots of water!

Drinking plenty of water is important to keep skin soft and supple so that stretch marks are less likely to form. Dry skin has less elasticity.

Exercise!

A daily workout with some light stretching exercises improve circulation and skin elasticity. Exercise also tightens and tones muscles.

It can’t tone and tighten sagging skin, however, but it can help reduce the appearance of sagging skin. Resistance and strength training exercises build lean muscle mass as you lose body fat. Muscle helps hold the skin in place.

If you’re in your 40s or 50s, here is some good news for you!

The American Academy of Dermatology reports that individuals in their 40s and 50s are less likely to develop stretch marks. The reason is that by midlife a person’s skin begins to thin and lose its elasticity as collagen in the outer and middle layers of the skin breaks down.

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is the general manager of Weight Watchers of Maine. She is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. Her experience with her own weight management journey and raising girls has given her insight into the struggles families face with weight, healthy body image, food and physical activity. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news for more than ten years and appears monthly as a guest on FOX network morning program Good Day Maine.

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Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is the general manager of Weight Watchers of Maine. She is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. Her experience with her own weight management journey and raising girls has given her insight into the struggles families face with weight, healthy body image, food and physical activity. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news for more than ten years and appears monthly as a guest on FOX network morning program Good Day Maine.